Letter from the editor: Trying my hand at plumbing

Colin Hume

The travails with fitting my kitchen continue ... and the latest headache is the plumbing.

Now let’s be clear from the start, after a previous attempt to remove a radiator resulted in scalding hot water pumping out of a broken pipe, anything that poses a flooding risk is left to the professionals.

I figured that replacing replacing a sink and tap wouldn’t be beyond my capabilities and set about proving it - how wrong could I be?

However, I figured that replacing a sink and tap wouldn’t be beyond my capabilities and set about proving it - how wrong could I be?

I put most - if not all – of the blame on the instructions - or lack of them.

I don’t know who it was who decided that the series of pictures with arrows pointing here, there and everywhere didn’t need any explanatory text but they wouldn’t have want to have met me after I’d spent an hour trying to secure the new sink in place at the weekend.

And the most definitely wouldn’t have wanted to have met my wife when she turned on the washing machine unaware that the pipes hadn’t been reconnected.

Anyway, sink finally in place and tap (reasonably) secure, I turned my attention to the myriad of plastic underneath.

I’m sure all the pipes must serve a purpose – although I’ve yet to figure out what some of them actually are - but what I do know is that one of them is a few inches shorter than I want it to be.

And, after yet another trip to B&Q (I really should be buying shares in that company), I now also know that the said pipe is slightly thicker than the standard.

On the plus side, I am proud to announce that, despite what I’ve said previously, I CAN actually saw in a straight line.